E-commerce spending continues to increase at a staggering rate, with web originated sales accounting for close to 12% of total retail spending. In 2016, UPS reported delivering an average of 19 million packages/documents globally every day. The convenience of point-and-click shopping with products delivered directly to one's door has been overwhelmingly embraced except for one drawback: security. The “last mile” historically has been a challenge for supply chain service providers and is now compounded by an ever-increasing volume. The security challenge resides in so many packages/products sitting on residential porches exposed to theft and weather before they can be brought inside. The exposure may be as little as a few minutes or as long as much of a day, such as if the recipient is at work. The exposure may even last several days, such as if the recipient is out of town. The risk of theft of packages off of front porches is even greater during the holiday season.
While some commercial-grade boxes exist in which packages may be securely placed, they are typically made of metal, are heavy, are costly and therefore targeted for business, not residential, use.